Gaza-set Dégradé fundraiser screening at Palestine House

After Sudan Remember Us with Palestine Solidarity Aberystwyth, Films of Resistance are hosting a screening of Gaza-set Dégradé. The event will take place at London’s Palestine House on 13 February to raise funds for Jenin artists to visit the UK.

Gaza: Dégradé — ten years later

Shot 10 years ago by twins Tarzan and Arab Nasser, Dégradé takes place entirely in a women’s hair salon in Gaza and stars Hiam Abbass (Succession, Palestine 36). The pair’s most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, just won the Best Director prize at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. The irreverent mock-Western opens with Trump’s Gaza Riviera speech, echoed in full technicolor this week in Davos. Similarly, Dégradé, is a film with broad appeal and a lot of humour. The story unfolds inside the salon, owned by Russian émigrée Christine. Outside, a confrontation breaks out between the police and a local gangster accused of smuggling a lion out of the zoo. The situation escalates and traps Christine, her female clients, and their own personal dramas inside.

The film followed their short Condom Lead (2013), a touching tale of intimacy amidst Israeli attacks. In 2020, they once again gained acclaim with witty romantic drama Gaza Mon Amour. Although it was shot in Jordan, it was set at the time of the 2014 Israeli attacks, another episode of what the occupation forces call “mowing the lawn” that led to the eventual carnage today. Like all their films, it’s a love letter to their native Gaza and the resilience, humour, and spirit of its people.

Introduced by Arts Canteen director, Gaza-born Aser El Saqqa, and filmmaker Said Zagha (Coyotes), the screening provides an opportunity to reflect on the last ten years.

Films of Resistance

The film was chosen by Zhaleh Bahraini, founder of the Iranian Film Club and a collaborator of Films of Resistance. The collective, now 18 months old, was initially set up to platform and support Palestinian cinema. It now acts as an international decentralised screening resource. The idea is that anyone or organisation with access to a venue can put on a screening. FoR provides programming support and information about film rights. After covering their expenses, organisers reinvest profits into grassroots filmmaking and cultural production. This can include film rights, buying or sending equipment, paying for remote workshops and training… The impetus for the initiative was the lack of access for many aspiring Palestine artists and filmmakers to the usual channels of support: NGOs, cultural institutes, established film festivals, and so on.

FoR has recently expanded to include Lebanese and Sudanese cinema. After an opening screening at London’s Genesis Cinema in 2024, FoR collaborators have held screenings in many countries: Portugal, the US, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Wales, with one in the pipeline in Australia.

The Jenin Cultural UK Tour

The first screening raised enough funds to buy a film camera for the Jenin Centre for Culture and Creativity. The centre is an essential social and artistic hub servicing Jenin and the surrounding areas. It provides a safe and inclusive space for the entire community, especially women and young people. Director Yousef Awad runs craft sessions, pottery classes, talks and workshops, and hosts international journalists and volunteers. Yousef is keen to support the training of emerging videographers and filmmakers. Shatha al-Sabbagh, the young reporter killed by PA security forces in January 2025 was one of the participants. The Centre has supported thousands of people left homeless after Israel’s destruction of the refugee camp. In fact, the worsening situation has restricted movement for Jenin’s population even more.

Despite this, Yousef and 6 artists hope to travel to the UK to perform in a number of venues. Singer Alaa Natour, organ player Qais Abu Nada, oud player Faris Al Shaer, poet Haneen Ibrahim, and clarinet player Mahmood Swetat hope to showcase their work. For some, this would be the 20th anniversary of their last UK visit. Tower Hamlets PSC — twinned with Jenin — had helped organise the 2006 tour.

In addition, the screening will be followed by a sale of crafts and prints from local artists. Proceeds will go to the fundraiser set up to cover travel, visa and accommodation expenses. Once they raise enough money, they will apply for visas with the view of visiting in the Spring. Tickets are available here. Visit the fundraising page for more information on the tour.